Prince of Darkness

R

Released Oct 21, 1987

1 hr. 42 min.

Horror

List

62%

39 Reviews

Tomatometer

61%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Oct 18

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Prince of Darkness on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Prince of Darkness has a handful of chillingly clever ideas, but they aren't enough to put John Carpenter's return to horror at the same level as his classic earlier outings.

Read Critics Reviews

Aldis H

One of my favorite horror movies. I've seen it at least five times. The future communication thing is a great idea and very scary.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Alec B

Contains some of Carpenter's most potent imagery. I also like the attempt to physically contextualize evil and while the success of that attempt may be debatable I don't think the originality of the ideas can be.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Dan R

1987's 'Prince of Darkness' is the second part of John Carpenter's 'Apocalypse Trilogy'. SYNOPSIS: 'A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.' Films like this don't really resonate well in the modern day and this is the case here. This is a very odd spin on demonic horror and you'll question everything you see. Something for nerds maybe? Who knows! Will quantum mechanics save the day? Probably not. This isn't the director's best film by a long way but he certainly knows how to instill a feeling of the worst ominous dread from the film's long and arduous intro. Pleasance does what he does best. And mainly in Carpenter's films. The rest of the cast are disposable and fodder for some fucked up deaths. It's certainly a journey with controversial ideas which surely upset anyone who's religious. Expect the unexpected. Get worse! I came for Carpenter, I stayed for the absurd. 6/10

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/24

Full Review

Ian

I'm torn on how i feel about this movie. there's a half of me that really enjoyed and there's a half of me that was just meh on it. the concept is a very unique spin on demon possession and religion horror. Donald Pleasence of course knocks it out of the park and i kinda wish he was in the film more. this was my film i've seen with Victor Wong in it and he did amazing, i loved his performance. The side characters on the other hand are probably the weakest thing about the film, for a John Carpenter film this movie has terrible dialogue and most of it comes from the side character. the humor that they try to throw into here is just bad and doesn't fit the vibe of the film at all. this movie also has the problem that i've had with most John Carpenter flicks so far, there are plenty of times in this movie where i'm kinda bored and waiting for something to happen or speed up, especially in the third act. There are a lot of scenes that could have been trimmed and probably would have made the experience better. overall i thought this movie had very very good moments and also very very weak moments which is leading me to saying it's just ok. maybe it'll grow on me the more i watch it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Giuseppe S

One of Carpenter's best horror films of the eighties, a Masterpiece of tension and Fright

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/02/23

Full Review

chris h

Not his greatest or worst horror movie.Decent cast that at times captures true horror,and other times not so much.Still a fun watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

John Carpenter

Director

Donald Pleasence

Priest

Jameson Parker

Brian Marsh

Victor Wong

Prof. Howard Birack

Lisa Blount

Catherine Danforth

Dennis Dun

Walter

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Undying Evil

1:34

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - You Will Not Be Saved!

1:55

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - The Devil's Spit

2:00

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Bicycle Stab

1:14

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Axe-Wielding Exorcist

2:31

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Susan Possessed

1:07

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Satanic Zombie Attack

2:51

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Touched by a Devil

1:49

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Satanic Slime

2:41

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Pray for Death

2:15

View more videos

70%

73%

Hellraiser

TRAILER

for Hellraiser

65%

49%

Pumpkinhead

67%

68%

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

53%

53%

Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives

TRAILER

for Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives

33%

37%

Friday the 13th Part VII -- The New Blood

TRAILER

for Friday the 13th Part VII -- The New Blood

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Angelica Jade Bastién, Critic at Vulture/New York Magazine

View more photos

Phil Hoad

Guardian

Close to a decade's experience in horror pays off, with Carpenter working the audience with jump-scares and revolting demises like an old pro.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2018

Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

John Carpenter seems to be hovering between cold-eyed mechanical fear-making and horror camp.

Oct 5, 2018

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

''Prince of Darkness'' is a real tour de force, and a welcome return.

Oct 5, 2018

Full Review

Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

This take on demonic horror is truly a strange bit of cinema, but a welcoming addition to a long list of talented work. Come for Carpenter, stay for the weird.

Dec 1, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[John Carpenter's] images are superb but his ideas are even more unnerving.

Oct 29, 2022

Full Review

Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

I love the immediate sense of ominous dread that Carpenter effectively builds from the elaborate opening credits itself, beginning with John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s atmospheric minimalist score setting the tone of the movie.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 28, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.

Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: John Carpenter
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Alive Films
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 1987, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.9M
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now